BOSTON — Now winners of three consecutive games, the Boston Bruins were lifted by their elite defensive showing during their 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars at TD Garden on Tuesday.
The Bruins, who still await the return of a full and healthy team, put forth one of their strongest defensive efforts yet this season against one of Boston’s stronger opponents thus far. Entering the third period with a one-goal lead after the second intermission, the Bruins were tasked with protecting the advantage against a gritty Stars offense that initially tied the contest with a second-period goal from center Wyatt Johnston.
Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery took notice of the team’s improvement on the defensive end.
“I just think we’re closing faster on plays which is not allowing the other team to have so much time and space,” Montgomery said. “There’s not much to get used to. Everyone that’s here has played this defensive system. So, it’s just creating better habits.”
Bruins goalie Luis Ullmark, who played a major role in the noteworthy defensive effort, finished his night with 30 saves.
“I wish to have a very long, successful career so I hope this is not my best performance,” Ullmark said. “I wish there’s another level, striving to get to that level. I don’t like to talk about me, I wanna talk about the team. It’s not just me out there. It’s a whole group of guys. We’re doing this together. It’s not just me. … I’ve got guys in the corner of me that’s blocking shots left and right. Watching out, doing the right things over and over again.”
The Bruins remain undefeated after five games in which Ullmark starts at goalie.
“It’s early in the season, there’s some things that we can work on,” Ullmark said. “But it’s also nice that we managed to score a couple of empty netters. That shows that we’re in the right position and we’re doing the right things when it comes to neutral zone and defensive-wise.”
Here are more notes from Tuesday’s Bruins-Stars game:
— Bruins left winger Taylor Hall netted his fourth goal of the season to break even the 1-1 tie. Hall has scored in three consecutive games now for Boston.
— Both goaltenders, Ullmark and Jake Oettinger, entered the game with perfect records in games they’ve started.
— For the first time since the 1969-70 season, the Bruins are 6-1 to begin their campaign.
— The Bruins remain undefeated through their first five games played on home ice.
— The Bruins return to home ice on Thursday to face off against the Detroit Red Wings. Puck drop from TD Garden is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage live on NESN.
